IRS Seizure Defense

Levies on a taxpayer’s property can be divided into two categories. When the IRS acts to collect on taxpayer’s tax debt by taking real or tangible property which the taxpayer possesses, such as the taxpayer’s car or jewelry or house, this is often referred to as a “seizure,” as in “the IRS seized his car and it seized her emerald bracelet.”

When the IRS acts to take money, that action is often called a “levy” as in “the IRS levied her checking account and now we are working to persuade the IRS to release the bank levy.” Or, if instead the IRS orders a taxpayer’s employer to take money from the taxpayer’s paycheck, this type of levy is called a “garnishment.”

Despite the IRS’s broad powers to levy, garnish, and seize, taxpayers do have defenses to prevent seizures or undo them.

A taxpayer facing seizure of property needs to act with the help of a professional who can analyze the situation and fight for them to prevent the seizure, or undo it, or minimize the IRS’s efforts to separate you from your property.